Semitrailer elevating-horse



J. B. OLDS.

SEMITRAILER ELEVATING HORSE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 11. 1918.

1,308,764. Patented July 8, 1919.

I anuewlfo'c James B. 0M5

$51, his altar/140,1

JAMES BRYANT OLDS, OF MASPETH, NEW YORK.

SEMITRAILER ELEVATING-HORSE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 8, 1919.

\ Application filed October 17, 1918. Serial No. 258,507.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES BRYANT Once, a citizen of the United States,and residing at Maspeth, L. 1., in the county of Queens and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Semi--trailer Elevating-Horses, of which the following is a specification,such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

This invention relates to the coupling of what are known assemi-trailers with a molowing specification, of which the accomtor ortractor and uncoupling the same when desired; and the object of theinvention is to provide improved means or'apparatus of the classspecified whereby the operation or operations referred to may be quicklyand easily accomplished without danger'to the operator or operators; afurther object being to provide an apparatus of the class specifiedwhich is simple in construction and operation and comparativelyinexpensive; and with these and other objects in view the inventionconsists of the apparatus hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention is fully disclosed in the folpanymg drawing forms a part,in which the separate parts of my improvement are designated by suitablereference characters in each of the views, and in which Figure 1 is aside view of my improve mentand indicating the method of its use;

Fig.2 a side view of a horse jack device which I employ;

Fig. 3 a front view thereof;

Fig. 4 a plan view of a runway device which I employ; and,

Fig. 5 a cross section on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

In the accompanying drawing I have indicated at a an ordinary motor ortractor and at 6 what is known as a semi-trailer comprising a bodyportion b -and rear axle 12 having wheels 5, and the chassis of the.motor or tractor is provided in the usual tail in Figs. 2 to 5inclusive.

The general form of the runway d is well known, and said runwag' mayllile of any ut in t e accom preferred construction, panying' drawingconsists of parallel side members d connected by transverse rods, barsor other devices (Z and at the bottom of the front and deeper endportion thereof is a shaft (2 provided with wheels or rollers d and bytaking hold of the rear end parts a! of the side members (P, the runwaydevice d may be manipulated or wheeled about from one point to anotherin the manner of an ordinary wheel-barrow.

The horse jack device 0 comprises an upright framework 0 the sides ofwhich are preferably inclined inwardly and upwardly, and on the tothereof is placed a plate 0 which is prefgrably downwardly and forwardly inclined, and at the bottom thereof the horse jack device a isprovided with front wheels 0 and rear wheels 0 which are adapted totravel on the sides 03 way 03, and to facilitate this operation thewheels 0 and c st'ruction, with grooves c and the sides 03 of the runwayat with longitudinal ribs d which fit in said grooves. v

The operation will be readily understood from the foregoing descriptionwhen taken in connection with the accompanying drawing and the followingstatement thereof.

are provided, in the conof the runfront end of the trailer is showncoupled to the motor or tractor at e in the usual manner, and wheneverit is desired to disconnect the trailer from the motor or tractor, therunway device d is placed under the'central portion ofthe trailer and infront of the rear wheels 6 thereof, and the horse ack 0 is placed infront of the runway device with the wheels 0 resting on the rear endportions of the sides d of the runway device d, and said runway deviceand said horse jack device are so positioned under the trailer that thefront part of the horse jack will be in contact with the rear end of thebackwardly directed extension a of the chassis of the tractor. A

With the parts in this position the tractor is moved backwardly, whichoperation also moves the trailer backwardly, and in this operation thehorse jack 0 is forced backwardly into the, position shown in dottedlines in Fig. 1, which operation raises the trailer or the free endportion thereof-and the tractor as is also forwardly from beneath thetrailer and the trailer remains supported in the position indicated indotted lines in Fig. 1, and in this operation the horse jack may also beblocked on the runway d as shown at g. In order to re-couple the trailerwith the tractor, all that is necessary is to back the tractor under thetrailer as indicated in Fig. 1 so that the end portion a of the chassiswill strike the horse jack 0, after which the blocks f and g are removedand the tractor is moved forward slowly, and in this operation the horsejack 0 moves forwardly and downwardly over the runway dand'the trailer15 recoupled with the tractor as will be readily understood, after whichthe horse jack and runway are removed.

In the operation of coupling and uncouplingtrailers and tractors of theclass herein referred to, it has been necessary to employ ordinary,hoisting jacks which were placed beneath and operated from beneath thetrailer, and this has been a very dangerous operation and many seriousand fatal accidents have resulted therefrom, but with my improvement allsuch dangers are obviated and the operation of coupling anduncoup-lingthe tractor and the trailer has been simplified and rendered much moreexpeditious-than was heretofore possible, and many other advantages willindlcate themselves to those accustomed to the operation of the form ofapparatus to which my improve ment relates.

My invention is not limited in any way to the details of theconstruction of the runway device (Z, nor to the details oftheconstruction of the horse jack 0, as herein shown and described, andmany changes in and modifications of this construction may be made,within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from thespirlt of my invention or sacrificing its advantages.

Having fully described my lnvention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

' 1. The herein described means for elevat- I ing or raisingsemi-trailers 1n the operation of coupling said trailers with anduncoupling the same from a tractor, comprlsing an inclined runway bers,and a horse jack adapted to be placed beneath the trailer and to beoperated as described, said horse jack being provided with wheels whichoperate in connection with the side track ,members of the runway device.

2. In an apparatus of the class described for supporting semi-trailersin the operation of coupling and uncoupling the same with a tractor, vto be placed centrally of and beneath the trailer rearwardly of thetractor, and a horse jack device placed beneath the trailer forwardly ofthe runway and in engagement with the rear .end of the tractor, wherebythe backward movement of the tractor and having side track mem-- aninclined runway adapted] trailer will move said jack device upwardlyonto said runway which operation will uncouple the trailer from thetractor.

3. In an apparatus of the class described for supporting semi-trailersin the operation of coupling and uncoupling the same with a tractor, aninclined runway adapted to be placed centrally of and beneath thetrailer rearwardly of the tractor and a horse jack device placed beneaththe trailer forwardly of the runway and in engagement with the rear endof the tractor, said jack device comprising an upwardly tapered orconically formed frame having an inclined top' cross head, and rollerdevices secured to the bottom corner portions of the frame, said jackdevice being adapted to be moved upwardly onto said runway by thetractor in the backof the runway and in engagement with the rear end ofthe tractor and with the to of the jack device in engagement with theottom of the trailer whereby the backward movement of the tractor andtrailer will move said jack device upwardly on said runway whichoperation will uncouple the trailer from the tractor.

5. In an apparatus of the class described for supporting semi-trailersin the operation of coupling and uncoupling the same with a tractor, aninclined runway adapted to be placed centrally of and beneath thetrailer rearwardly of the tractor, and a horse jack device placedbeneath the trailer forwardly of the runway and in engagement with therear end of the tractor and with the top of the ack device in engagementwith the bottom of the trailer whereby the backward movement of thetractor and trailer will move said jack device upwardly on said runlethe way which operation will uncou trailer from the tractor, and meansor preventing the downward movement of said jack device on said runway.

6. In an apparatus of the class described for supporting semi-trailersin the operation of coupling and uncoupling the same with a tractor, aninclined runway adapted to be placed beneath the trailer and composed ofside track members connected by cross rods and a. horse jack deviceplaced beneath the trailer forwardly of the runway and in en' gagementwith the rear end of the tractor,

said jack device comprising a substantial framework having an inclinedtop, flaring sides and grooved wheels in the bottom corner portionsthereof, said wheels being track members of the runway,

substantially as shown and described.

7. In an apparatus of the class described- 5 for supportlngsemi-trailers in the operation of coupling and uncoupling the. same witha tractor, a portable runway device comprising side and tapered trackmembers v connected by cross members, said runwa.

being adapted to be laced beneath the trailerand a horse jac deviceplaced beneath the trailer forwardly of the runway and in engagementwith the rear end of the tractor, said jack device comprising a 15 framehaving flaring sides connected at the top by an inclined cross head, andwheels mounted in the bottom corner portions of the frame, saidwheelsbeing adapted to operate in connection with the track mem- 'bers of therunway in thebackward movement of the tractor and trailer to uncouplethe trailer from said tractor.

" In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signedmy name in presence of the subscribing wltnesses this 14th day ofOctober 1918. t

- JAMES BRYANT OLDS.

Witnesses:

C. E. MULREANY, H. E. THOMPSON.

